When Types are Not Enough

When Types are Not Enough

It is well-known that tests provide an existential guarantee (if the test fails, there is a bug), and that types provide a universal guarantee (the program can't go wrong). Combined, both are useful tools to gain more confidence in the correctness of a given program. However, not all languages provide a sophisticated type system which is able to encode strong properties. Some do, but the syntax is cumbersome. Luckily, there are tools which help to verify code without having to resort to rewriting it completely in a different language.

In this talk, we’ll explore the meanings of specification and implementation, how to formally specify programs, and how to create a connection between these two. We will also look at how to produce one from the other, and present some of the existing tools.